Rob Gronkowski believes Drake Maye’s early-season slide has reached a point where the New England Patriots quarterback needs to simplify things before the mistakes keep snowballing.
Maye has opened 2026 with one touchdown pass, six interceptions and a 58.6 passer rating through three games, a dramatic reversal from the quarterback who threw 31 touchdowns against eight interceptions last season.
NFL.com’s official statistics show Maye has thrown four fewer interceptions than he had all of 2025 despite playing 14 fewer games.
Gronkowski, who won three Super Bowls in New England, noted confidence as the crux of the problem during an Oct. 1 interview with RotoWire.
“They’re just kind of forcing it too much,” Gronkowski said. “I feel like they have a lot of pressure on the table, and the pressure is getting to them. They just got to relax, play ball.”
For Maye specifically, Gronkowski’s prescription was to stop chasing the big play when it’s unavailable.
“Drake Maye just has to go back in the pocket and just do what he does,” Gronkowski said. “His confidence isn’t there. He needs to rebuild that confidence.”
Gronkowski Sees Opportunity in Maye’s Slump
The trouble around Maye grew after New England’s 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3. Maye threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles before he was pulled late in the defeat.
Head coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged that New England’s decision-making with the football had slipped. Vrabel also used language similar to Gronkowski’s when discussing Maye’s tendency to press.
“We all want to make plays. We just have to make them good ones,” Vrabel said, per the Patriots’ official postgame transcript. “If it’s not there, we gotta make a great decision, and I think sometimes you can want it too badly and we can’t force anything.”
Gronkowski believes navigating the first prolonged downturn of Maye’s young career could ultimately help him.
“This could actually make him a better quarterback in the end if he knows how to fight himself out of this,” Gronkowski told RotoWire.
The former tight end also pushed back on the idea that Maye alone is responsible for New England’s offensive problems. Gronkowski said the Patriots’ wide receivers need to create more separation and give their quarterback better throwing windows.
Bills Matchup Will Strain Gronkowski’s Advice
Gronkowski’s comments makes the upcoming assignment particularly revealing.
The Patriots travel to face the Bills in Week 4 with Maye on the heels of a turnover-heavy starting month.
In addition to Maye’s issues, New England also goes into Buffalo dealing with injuries up front and without Brown, making patience even more important.
Patriots.com previously detailed how defenses have increasingly used two-high safety looks to limit Maye’s deep passing opportunities and force him to take shorter completions. Maye admitted earlier this season that he had lost patience with those underneath options.
Gronkowski’s words cut directly into that challenge.
Instead of trying to repair everything with one throw, Maye may need to accept the checkdown, protect the football and permit the offense to rebuild momentum one drive at a time.
As for a quarterback hitting many explosive plays in 2025, that adjustment could be tense.
Gronkowski views it as part of the evolution-of-a-young-player process.
Patriots Icon Speaks on Drake Maye ‘Rebuild’ as Bills Matchup Looms